HOW WAS THIS YEAR?

[Model12]

Very good year for us...no accidents, lots of ducks...I'd give it a 8.5.

[peewee]

I give it a 3.

[Wildfowler]

For me it started out great, then tapered off into almost nothing. Thank goodness for Wood Ducks and Ringnecks. It picked back up here for the last 3 or 4 weeks.

Personally, I went from stating that this was my worst season ever, to feeling about the equivalent of last year maybe a little better. I shot more shells this year, probably only because I hunted more day in total. (over 50)

Wrapped up the last few weeks of the season in a very positive manner, which is what will stick in my mind the most. I don't seem to recall the slow days quite as vividly. I've also developed a new found love of cooking Wood Duck Gumbo, thanks to about two weeks of really slow Mallard shooting. I just wish you could shoot more of those little speedsters in a morning.

My scale begins with good, goes up through great, and tops out a excellent. There's nothing below good as far as I am concerned. I would have to say this one was a solid good and 1/2..

[webbmaster]

I give it a 5 based on the first 2 weeks and the last 2 weeks being great, but everything in between was mediocre and slow.

I'll take it, though.

[Redhead]

10! Good Times, Great Friends, Good Shooting, Nuff Said

[gadwall2]

Well the intensity was definitely down. This year I killed fewer ducks than any year I have been duck hunting. I've been chasing these birds since 1988 and the parts of the delta I hunted this year looked like the old swamp I grew up hunting in clay county.

It got a lot better saturday morning. I was covered up with gadwall for about 30 minutes. Those 30 minutes are the reason I hunt ducks. You can't move, can't look up, heart is pounding, all you can do is watch the decoys and wait for them to drop their landing gear. Those moments make it worthwhile for me.

I really hated that my dog didn't get to see that. I thought it was a little to cold for her fri and sat. Where I hunted, I knew that I could wade and get the birds I shot and did not want to risk her health. She is only two and she has plenty of hunting to look forward to if the Lord allows.

I enjoyed meeting Delta Duck and his guides, riding the roads checking for duck concentrations, scouting, 3am conversations between my bro-in-law as we headed for the delta, boat ramp talks with other hunters, fiddling with the decoys, cusssing the robo, cold boat rides, frozen honey buns, and watching my 4 & 7 yr olds eyes get as big as tractor tires when I took the to a roost hole to watch the ducks come in to roost.

Whether we kill ducks or not it is about the "chase" to me. I never had anyone take me duck hunting as a kid, but I was always facinated with ducks. So when I got old enough to do it on my own I started and have enjoyed almost every minute of it and will continue for as long as I can.

By the way, next years season started this morning for me. I'll be riding the roads and taking pictures and making notes for another 3-4 weeks.

I'll just rate the amount of ducks I killed---2.

[Unlucky Ducky]

Well yesterday made up for the entire year, more on that later. Like others, its hard to rate because even though I did not kill many birds I was able to enjoy the outdoors, friends, and I'm around to plan for next year. If I had to put a # on it I would say a 7.

Now to yesterday, public hunting. Had the best day of the year, by far, lots of birds, birds working the dekes, birds landing in the dekes, birds landing right outside the dekes, all of which means - dead birds in the boat. It was a beautiful thing, man. Seeing birds work the decoys, making several passes, other birds cupped up and falling in from higher up, been waiting on this all year. Finally in the right place at the right time. An afternoon hunt landed us 2 limits with 3 hunters, woodies and mallards, but if we could shoot, we would have been able to watch some of the Super Bowl pre-game. I guess not shooting much for most of the year had our aim a little rusty, at least thats my excuse .

I agree with an earlier post......No hunting days in November. Especially opening the same weekend as deer hunting. Another week to hunt in January is what we need.

[torch]

Wingman I'm with you. Ducks were up from last year. Met people from all across the US and even had a pair from Greece. Watched a seven year old take his first greenhead and not turn it loose for the rest of the hunt. Had a 79 year old man take his first pintail, (I hope I can get around as well as him when I'm 79.) Watched the sunrise for 55 days and thank the Lord that I am lucky enough to be able to do this for a hobbie.

[River Hunter]

1st two weeks of the season was great or at least ok. Can not say the same for the rest of the season. A couple of good hunts here and there. Duck hunting is becoming very hard and very expensive.

[gadwall2]

River Hunter, its not becoming that way buddy, its been that way

[ducks&bucks]

Since this was my first year to duck hunt I can't give it a number, but had a great time learning a new sport! Didn't kill many ducks but most of that was my fault. And no begginers luck here....no bands!

[Nitro Mag]

I would have to say it was below averge but better than last year. Bad thing is business was starting to pick up and then the season closed. Too bad we didn't get till the 31st. I can't complain I got 3 bands and a day duck hunting is by far better than going to work.

[hillhunter]

fair season. killed the limit on the first and last hunts of the season and had fun chasing them in between. not near as many as in the past but i think that some of us are just spoiled anyway. rate it a 4.

[Hammer]

My hunting was way better than last year when I bagged 67 birds in 19 hunts with only 22 mallards...This year I cut back on quanity and focused on quality...I mostly did not hunt unless I knew the birds were there and bagged 51 birds in 10 hunts of which 24 were GH/H, 13 were WD, 8 were GAD and 6 were GWT...

Last year my partner and I only killed 7 ducks total on our lease near Satartia (6 WD and 1 GWT)... This year we killed over 50 ducks on that lease which is way down from 1995-2000 but a lot better than last year...

The hunting at our Steele Bayou location sucked again this year (until the last weekend) and I am convinced that Mahannah is the culprit...Ever since the state bought that property, our hunting has gotten steadily worse...

All in all, there were more birds around this year than last year but that is not saying much...Neither year was remotely as good as the previous 9 seasons which gets back to the 1991-92 season and the last time that I hunted less than 15 days in a season...

IMO, the problem is this:

Too few birds breeding, too few birds born, too many birds eaten by predators, too many birds killed by hunters (including ducks wounded and not retrieved)...

As a hunter that hunts at the lower end of the Flyway, I am convinced that a shorter season and smaller bag limit means more ducks for MS hunters since less are killed north of us...Give me a PERMANENT SEASON of 40 days and 4 ducks with species modifications in down years and I am a happy duck hunter since I would undoubtedly see more ducks and that is what I like.

HAMMER

[feedcall]

In 1999 we killed about 1100, in 2000 we killed about 800, in 2001 we killed 350, and this year we killed 370. In the better years everyone in our camp hunts a lot more frequently. The few guys that got out there and chased them had a really good season. I will give it 5, because I have had much better, and seen it not a whole lot worse, but I have seen it worse. In the 80's when the population was way down LIKE IT IS NOW I remember the days of not firing a shot, and really not seeing much. Those days are back, and it makes you enjoy the good days much more.